Romney messaging: Obama will raise taxes

FISHERSVILLE, Va.—Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan told supporters Thursday that the takeaway from the debate should be that President Barack Obama will raise taxes on the middle class if he’s reelected.

Buoyed with fresh confidence, Republicans celebrated their nominee’s performance after weeks of process stories about fading hopes. Romney’s nighttime speech here, which the campaign said drew an overflow crowd of more than 10,000 to Shenandoah Valley fairgrounds, even ended with a fireworks show.

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“Last night was an important night for the country, because people got the chance … to cut through all the attacks and counterattacks and all of the theatrics associated with a campaign, and instead they were able to listen to substance,” Romney said. “And I appreciate the fact that Jim Lehrer asked questions of substance and we each responded to them.”

Romney cited a study to claim that Obama will raise taxes on the middle class by some $4,000 a family. He said letting the Bush tax cuts expire is also tantamount to a tax increase.

“The American people do not want higher taxes,” he said. “They went less spending and more growth … I don’t want to raise taxes on anybody.”

“He described a series of ideas which we’ve heard before,” Romney added of Obama. “He talks about a stimulus. He talks about hiring more government workers. He talks about the government making investments. And, of course, he talks about raising more taxes.”

Ryan, who spoke before Romney, also pushed the tax message hard.

“Every now and then, we see a glimpse into the future,” he said. “Last night President Obama made very clear he’s going to raise taxes.

“What we don’t need is a tax increase on our successful job creators that will cost us 700,000 jobs,” he added.

Both Ryan and Romney told the crowd that Vice President Joe Biden admitted in Iowa earlier Thursday that he and Obama plan to raise taxes.

“The vice president blurted out the truth today,” Romney said. “They plan on raising taxes on the American people, and that will kills jobs. We will not let that happen.”

“Romney’s streak of dishonesty continued in Virginia tonight,” campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith said in a statement. “After spending the first debate desperately trying to hide how his $5 trillion tax plan would raise taxes on the middle class, tonight he pushed a partisan distortion of a study that has nothing to do with the President’s proposals and – if taken at face value – actually shows that the President’s plan to reduce deficits by more than $4 trillion would give a $1,300 tax cut to the same families Romney described.”

“The truth,” she added, “is that independent economists agree that to pay for Romney’s $250,000 tax cuts for multi-millionaires, he would have to raise taxes on middle class families by cutting deductions they rely on, like those for mortgage interest and children.”

The quibbling over numbers aside, ebullience flowed on the Romney campaign plane. He was in a great mood, trading jokes with his traveling companions.

“Denver control tower has commended the governor on last night,” the pilot said over the intercom as Romney’s plane prepared to take off for the next stretch of the campaign.

Readers' Comments (52)

"On top of the trillions of dollars of spending that we have already cut, we’re gonna ask – yes – we’re gonna ask the wealthy to pay more," said Biden. "My heart breaks, come on man. You know the phrase they always use?Obama and Biden want to raise taxes by a trillion dollars. Guess what? Yes we do in one regard." Joe Biden

Joe Biden then ends his remark with a contradiction that makes absolutely no sense.

"We want to let that trillion dollar tax cut expire so the middle class doesn’t have to bear the burden of all that money going to the super wealthy. That’s not a tax raise, that’s called fairness where I come from." Joe Biden

HUH? What does that mean? It means everyone's taxes are going up on January 1, 2013 because Joe Biden and Barack Obama want to stick it to the American people.

All his plans for "investments" are going to require a big sacrifice from those who earn their money . So that the racist president with the fake ghetto accent can spread the wealth around to those who do not earn it. He scorns the rich who want to keep their "stuff". Hell, he scorns anybody who wants to keep their stuff

People are voting now. Most people decided along time ago. After Romney said he doesn't care about half the country. He will never win after that comment. This is all a waste of time. Obama will get 4 more years easy. Everyone seen Romney change positions again last night. He's all over the place

Do not be fooled American voters, seniors, young folks, and undecided voters.

If I am correct George Bush had a plan called Contract with America.

Did any of you sign on for what was to come or was it laid out you you to see if it required your vote?

Get this 10 years later we are still living the domino effects of the contract from hell or Contract with America for those that benefited.

2 wars frequent and rapid recessions with a Great recession that followed.

And those that were at the helms of the disaster points fingers at the fall guy President Obama while they did nothing or resisted he proposed strategy for rebuilding our infrastructure.

Now they need 4 or 8 more years to drain you dry and collapse the American and global economy with unfair business practices in exchange for a new world currency. look at the economic growth and who is benefiting you or them. bookmark this comment because it will happen.

The people who "earn" their millions are few and far between. Most were born on third base and are able to convince themselves that they hit a home run. They got the rest of the way on the backs of an infrastructure of public education, police and military protection, a justice system, and interstate transportation systems built by federal funds. They have profited the most from this infrastructure and should damned well bear the biggest burden to keep it running.

Meanwhile, the rich keep getting richer by hiring more lobbyists, tax lawyers, and senators to keep the laws to their liking. Of COURSE they are paying more taxes, because they are keeping an increasing share of the wealth after taxes. While the middle class keeps keeping less- for the past 40 years. Corporations now pay about 1/3 of the share that they paid 40 years ago.

People are catching on that the game has become rigged. The Tea Party is under the delusion that government itself is the problem, but most of us realize that government itself is essential...but there is a difference between good government and bad government. The good ones help everyone, while the bad ones are tilted in favor of the wealthy. Which side do you think Mitt favors?

Trailing in the polls leading up to the debate, apparently Gov. Romney's campaign has decided that lying directly to the public on national television in an animated and aggressive manner (while only specifically outlining his disdain for Public Television) is his only path left to the Oval office.

The truth is, "Governor Romney cannot pay for his $5 trillion tax plan without blowing up the deficit or sticking it to the middle class. That's the math," says President Obama. Four years ago, Obama pledged not to raise taxes on middle class families. Hasn't he delivered?

With Romney, I can't figure out what we're likely to get: someone who's made his millions on the backs of the middle class and plans to pay for massive spending cuts (which won't jumpstart the economy) by raising taxes on the middle class, or the Romney who is now trying to spin himself as the middle class champion with only 4 weeks left in the campaign.

Now you see him, now you don't? President Flip-Flop? No, thanks.

I'll take the President, who was likely as shocked last night as I was at Romney's remarkable transition from run-of-the-mill Republican into bald-faced liar.

Mitt Romney was sinking until yesterday, and he was preparing for doom day. Now he tries to raise the scarecrow that Obama will saddle everybody with $ 4.000 more taxes annually to keep himself afloat in the polls. I believe that study he quotes is a Republican concoction to help Romney salvage his teetering campaign.

The $ 4.000 Obama taxes claim is definitely baloney - or better yet "cow manure." Simply stated, Romney expects to throw that cow dug on Obama and milk votes in return. And that is dirty and phony politics that turns people off. Now let's wait and see if the Americans are stoned suckers to believe him.

I bet that on November 6, 2012, the adage "There is no fool like an old fool, " will be re-branded as "There is no fool like a desperate and charlatan politician who believes that he can hypnotize a nation with outrageous campaign lies and win the election!"

Fireworks? REALLY??? Ever heard of dancing in the end zone before the game's over, Romney? Yeah, that's 'sports games' jargon for us 47-percenters. You know, that half of the country you've promised not to care about if you're elected. Well, come November 6th, you won't have to. Because contrary to what your overly-confident campaign now seems to think, we like our President. A LOT. Enough to show up in Madison, Wisconsin today 30,000 strong. No fireworks needed. The proof is in the candidate. And despite last night, President Obama trumps you any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.

It's TRUE, Obama will RAISE taxes, Joseph Biden stated it TODAY. If you're making 250K, you're considered rich based on Obama's rhetoric. This will hit small business owners real hard, they file their ITR as individual income tax, don't forget the MIDDLE CLASS, they'll be the one who'll suffer the FULL BRUNT of Obama's TAX INCREASE.

Burnett explained closing deductions is what solves the amount of revenue lost by the lowering of tax rates.

"Well, okay, stipulated. It won't be near $5 trillion but it's also not going to be the sum of $5 trillion in the loopholes that he's going to close," Cutter responded.

Cutter eventually acknowledged that the closing of deductions accounts for at least four trillion of the five trillion in lost revenues she claims that will not be collected in taxes. Transcript below.

Erin Burnett, CNN host: So you're saying if you lower them by 20% you get a $5 trillion tab, right?

Stephanie Cutter: It's a $5 trillion tab.

[crosstalk]

Burnett: But then when you close deductions it's not going to be anywhere near $5 trillion, that's our analysis.

Cutter: Well, okay, stipulated. It won't be near $5 trillion but it's also not going to be the sum of $5 trillion in the loopholes that he's going to close. So it is going to cost someone and it's going to cost the middle class. Independent economists have taken a look at this. There aren't enough deductions for those at the top to account for the number of tax cuts that they get because of Mitt Romney's policy so you have to raise taxes on the middle class. As Bill Clinton said, it's just simple math.

Burnett: Okay, they'll just say that you can do that. They're are other studies. I know the one to which you're referring, but there's also the possibility of economic growth.

Cutter: Prove it. Erin, prove it.

Burnett: We can't prove either side, that's all I'm saying, but the one thing that I can say is not true is the $5 trillion tax cut.

Cutter: I disagree with you. You can prove it. So then they should just say that they're counting entirely on economic growth to pay for a tax cut. Which is an interesting theory because that is what George Bush and let's look at how that turned out, we had the slowest economic growth since World War II.

Cutter: But that still leaves you at least a trillion dollars short. The math does not work with what they're saying. And they won't name those deductions, not a single deduction that they will close because they know that is bad for their politics. Now look, this is the center, this is the core of Mitt Romney's economic policy. Last night, he walked away from it, said he didn't have a $5 trillion tax cut. He does. That's what lowering the rates amounts to.

Romney this guy is insane- one minute he is a right winger, then he is a libertarian, now he's a democrat.Can the GOP just choose another Bush so we can get this game over with. This guy is such a liar - how can anyone trust him and to think the christian right accepts a mormon - go figure?